anonymize

verb

anon·​y·​mize ə-ˈnä-nə-ˌmīz 

variants also British anonymise

anonymized; anonymizing

transitive verb

: to remove identifying information from (something, such as computer data) so that the original source cannot be known : to make (something) anonymous

There's an incredible amount of data in your travel profile. So they improved security and created a sophisticated way to anonymize data.

—Dana Hawkins

anonymization noun

also British anonymisation

ə-ˌnä-nə-mə-ˈzā-shən 

anonymizer noun

also British anonymiser

Examples of anonymize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Register has revealed that several data brokers are harvesting and selling deeply personal conversations with AI chatbots, despite claiming those conversations are anonymized and collected with consent. —Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026

Recent research has also shown that individuals can be identified by today’s AI systems, even if the underlying data has purportedly been anonymized. —Kevin Collier, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026

Tornado Cash, which allows users to anonymize crypto transactions. —Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026

The slips were delivered, answered in writing, and then anonymized and thrown in a bowl. —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

anonym(ous) + -ize

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for anonymize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize